Engineering Properties of Two Spent Shales and Minus 1/4-Inch Raw Shale for the Means Project

A geotechnical investigation was performed to determine the physical properties (classification) and engineering properties of the Sunbury oil shale from a proposed oil shale mining site in Montgomery County (Means Project). Three materials were recieved in sealed metal drums and were labeled Raw Oil Shale (only material less than 0.25 inch), Sunbury, spent shale, and Sunbury shale (2.5-inch to 1/4-inch). The material labeled Sunbury, spent shale, (hereafter referred to as Spent Shale No. 1), has very little fines and the particles were angular in shape. The Sunbury, spent shale, 2.5-inch to 0.25 inch, (hereafter referred to as Spent Shale No. 2), was subangular or rounded in shape. The various types of geotechnical laboratory tests performed on these materials are listed in Table 1